development

Woodside Petroleum (WPL has announced today its approval of the $2.5 billion development of the Greater Western Flank (GWF) project to mark the expansion of North West Shelf. The first phase of GWF will also include the development of Goodwyn GH and Tidepole fields.

The federal and state government has approved BHP Billiton's (ASX:BHP) plan to expand the Olympic Dam copper, uranium and gold mine in South Australia. The $30 billion mine expansion could mean huge economic benefits, but Greens is protesting it will create radioactive waste.

The plan to create the world’s largest open-cut mine won the nod of the commonwealth, South Australian and Northern Territory governments yesterday.

BHP Billiton (ASX:BHP) has estimated the expansion cost for its Worsley alumina project in Western Australia to increase by more than half. BHP's share of the cost jumped to US$2.995 billion from the previous May 2008 figure of US$1.9 billion.

Project complexity and inflation drove up the costs, said Andrew Mackenzie, chief executive of BHP's non-ferrous unit. He called Worsley one of the most complex brownfield projects the company has undertaken.